I just returned from a business trip to France.
French mainstream media is very very quiet about this Airbus mess. One thing that was shown was a brief interview clip of an Airbus worker's union rep who complained that Airbus asked their employees to work more to make up for the A380 delay. He said that any more pressure from Airbus would actually be counter-productive and might even result in a strike.
Now that's all Airbus would need: a strike. That would really be the last nail on the coffin.
A few questions need to be asked though:
- Was the A380 program motivated by pride or by sound business judgment?
- Although European in nature, the French play a huge part in EADS. The problem with the French is well known. Can the French be trusted by airlines worldwide? I'm talking about work ethics here.